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New plants continue to come online in Gulf Coast region
The Gulf Coast region of the United States - consisting of the coastal stretches of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida - is among the most densely populated industrial regions in the country and home to nearly 2,500 operational industrial plants. The success and economic health of this region is largely due to its close proximity to a very large and well integrated network of pipelines and access to feedstock through some of the country's largest import and export terminals. Despite the permanent closure of 16 industrial plants across six different industries in 2008, an estimated 36 new plants began commercial operational in the region last year, totaling more than 2,700 job opportunities.
Many of the new plant startups were for projects that had been under construction or in development well ahead of the economic crisis, which came to a full boil late in 2008. Even with the looming economic slump, there are more than 60 grassroot plants still being considered or studied for the region that could begin commercial operations this year. Obviously a number of these planned plants will be postponed or even cancelled entirely depending on the end markets being targeted. There are a couple of industry sectors with somewhat less depressing outlooks for 2009 that might help keep the number of new plants in the region from decreasing drastically.
Optimism is strong in the biodiesel industry as at least 10 new plants are being planned for the region this year. A great deal of this activity, which totals more than $300 million, is already under construction and, when completed, could equal nearly 500 new jobs. The Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industry continues to find an attractive place in the region where the industry traditionally has had only a minimal presence. There are six new plants in this industry segment identified for the region with a total investment value of $180 million and more than 660 potential jobs.
The Gulf Coast region is traditionally known for its large number of petrochemical plants, petroleum refineries, power plants and the related oil and gas markets. Each of these market segments is experiencing its own share of exposure from the global economic slowdown, and these same industries will also be among the first in the country to recover when things begin to improve noticeably. The efficiencies gained from being strategically located in such an energy-rich region certainly have benefits.
For details on industrial plants in the U.S. Gulf Coast check out Industrial Info's Gulf Coast Online Plant Directory.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is a marketing information service specializing in industrial process, energy- and financial-related markets with products and services ranging from industry news, analytics, forecasting, plant and project databases, as well as multimedia services. To learn more, visit www.industrialinfo.com.
Many of the new plant startups were for projects that had been under construction or in development well ahead of the economic crisis, which came to a full boil late in 2008. Even with the looming economic slump, there are more than 60 grassroot plants still being considered or studied for the region that could begin commercial operations this year. Obviously a number of these planned plants will be postponed or even cancelled entirely depending on the end markets being targeted. There are a couple of industry sectors with somewhat less depressing outlooks for 2009 that might help keep the number of new plants in the region from decreasing drastically.
Optimism is strong in the biodiesel industry as at least 10 new plants are being planned for the region this year. A great deal of this activity, which totals more than $300 million, is already under construction and, when completed, could equal nearly 500 new jobs. The Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industry continues to find an attractive place in the region where the industry traditionally has had only a minimal presence. There are six new plants in this industry segment identified for the region with a total investment value of $180 million and more than 660 potential jobs.
The Gulf Coast region is traditionally known for its large number of petrochemical plants, petroleum refineries, power plants and the related oil and gas markets. Each of these market segments is experiencing its own share of exposure from the global economic slowdown, and these same industries will also be among the first in the country to recover when things begin to improve noticeably. The efficiencies gained from being strategically located in such an energy-rich region certainly have benefits.
For details on industrial plants in the U.S. Gulf Coast check out Industrial Info's Gulf Coast Online Plant Directory.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is a marketing information service specializing in industrial process, energy- and financial-related markets with products and services ranging from industry news, analytics, forecasting, plant and project databases, as well as multimedia services. To learn more, visit www.industrialinfo.com.